From Bathory on to the next iconic Black Metal band - Emperor.
Emperor was formed in 1991 in Norway by vocalist and guitarist Vegard Sverre Tveitan (aka Ihsahn) and guitarist Tomas Thormodsæter Haugen (aka Samoth). They are considered part of the second wave of black metal and pioneers of the symphonic black metal subgenre. The band only released 4 studio albums together between 1994 and 2001, when they dissolved as Ihsahn and Samoth wanted to persue different musical directions. After 2001 Emperor reformed several times for live performances but never released new material together. Still - nearly 20 years after releasing their latest album, Emperor still hold a special place in many black metal fans' hearts. Why ist that?
Emperor's first studio album In the Nightside Eclipse was released in 1994 and it is clearly a black metal album featuring all the black metal trademarks: lo-fi production, the most evil vocals one can imagine, satanic lyrics and speed. But it also featured Ihsahn's keyboard affinity and the use of symphonic elements throughout the album gave it a very different atmosphere. In the Nightside Eclipse is considered a real classic and must-have for any black metal fan. It is said to be the first real symphonic black metal album, groundbreaking for later symphonic black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir. So naturally, I was very excited to play this album. Did I like it at first? No. Do I like it now? The honest answer is - kind of.
When starting the album one is greeted by an eerie keyboard intro which sets a cold and creepy atmosphere. The first track opens with a melodic riff and so far I liked everything. And the Ihsahn starts to "sing". Wow. Unexpected is the wrong word here. I was expecting a black metal album after all. But the sounds Ihsahn creates on this album are just devilish. Fitting the genre but still not easy to listen to. I trudged through the album and I had difficulties to tell the single tracks apart.
I learned that songs in black metal mostly have no clear song structure like in other metal genres (Intro - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Solo - Chorus). Black metal songs tend to have a more narrative structure and tell a story in Verse 1 - Verse 2 - Verse 3 and so on. Mostly, there is no chorus you can latch on to and that makes it harder to remember the songs for an unexperienced black metal listener like me.
And then came an intro that made me sit up. The neighing horses... I KNEW this song, where did I know it from? Well, track 9 on the 1999 remastered edition of In the Nightside Eclipse was Emperor's cover version of Bathory's A Fine Day to Die. Their tribute to "old black metal". And I love this version. I like it better than the original. I've been playing it on repeat. And this cover version of a familiar song made it gradually easier for me to listen to and understand the rest of the tracks.
After several listens Bathory's influence on Emperor is actually audible in several tracks, for example in The Burning Shadows of Silence. The chord progression used here at 2:44 sounded very familiar.
I was also immediately drawn to the cover art of the album, not knowing what it depicted. After reading up I now know that it has been drawn by Kristian Wåhlin (aka Necrolord) and shows "a host of orcs en route to Minas Morgul". Cool. Lord of the Rings theme on an album cover - I like it. Count me in.
In the Nightside Eclipse features Emperor's best known tracks to this day: I am the Black Wizards and Inno a Satana. Interestingly, both tracks are on the B-side of the album. All in all the album showcases 8 tracks and it is hard for me to pick a specific favourite as the essense of the songs is rather similar: You have Faust's blastbeats and a heavy use of cymbals; you have Ihsahns demonic shrieks, making it nearly impossible for me to understand the lyrics and you have fast guitar riffs and a lot of tremolo picking from Ihsahn and Samoth (Tchort's bass playing is not really meaningful on this album).
BUT - and this is a big one - if I really sit down and listen to one song at a time, focusing on the single instruments, listening to the choir and other atmospheric elements layered over the guitars and the frantic drumming, then all the songs come together. Beyond Ihsahns shrieking there is actually some beautiful music. Eye-opening was the comparison between Inno A Satana and the orchestral version of this song (Opus a Satana) from the follow-up album Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (1997). Thanks @Mike for showing me this :-)
In each song are stand-alone synthesizer parts and they are actually pretty great in my opinion. Many black metal fans despise those and this is where opionions differ vastly, but it works for me. The use of choir, wind and thunder sounds and keyboards does not diminish the "evilness" of the songs and the music in itself. It helps creating a wider picture, putting images in your head.
Take The Majesty Of The Night Sky for example. The whole song is 4:53 minutes long and at 2:23 a synthesizer interlude starts for nearly two minutes before the song comes back in full force and aggression. The synth section does exactly what it is supposed to do. It embellishes the narrative and creates the matching atmosphere corresponding with the lyrics.
"As a stone of scorching enthusiasm
I refract the reflecting surface of this unfathomable sea
Growing circles of grief and pain slides across the land
As an omen of the horror yet to come"
The album In the Nightside Eclipse showcases the music of four musicians that were absolutely confident in what they were doing. The atmosphere of the album is majestic and bold and while I took me some effort and work, I am very happy knowing it now.
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